Google boasts Android for Work success

Android for Work, Google’s answer for enterprise mobility management, has signed up 40 partners and more than 10,000 business customers since it launched less than five months ago. It’s also gained broad support from the country’s four largest wireless carriers.

Google’s enterprise program for mobile devices, Android for Work, has attracted more than 10,000 business customers and 40 partners since it launched earlier this year, according to Google. The program is designed to bring enterprise features to the Android operating system, including profile and device management, and security for data, mobile apps and Android devices.

New partners include device manufacturers, app developers, management providers and, for the first time, mobile carriers such as AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint. The wireless operators are now offering broad customer support for the program, according to Google.

“For CIOs this means that they can easily work with their carriers to manage, implement and develop solutions with Android,” says Nick King, head of product marketing at Android for Work. “They will now be able to turn to [carriers] to acquire secure Android devices, expand wireless service and deploy management solutions.”

Android for Work separates work from personal

Android for Work enables you to create a profile for work on your mobile device that separates and protects work data from personal apps and content. IT staff can apply policies to those work profiles to restrict the flow of data, establish VPN connections and block app downloads from third-party marketplaces. Business apps can also be deployed and managed via Google Play for Work and mobility managers can remotely wipe an employee’s work profile without affecting personal apps or content.

Android for Work’s earliest customers include SAP, Woolworths, Guardian Life Insurance, the World Bank and the U.S. Army, according to Google. The company is also working with Android device manufacturers such as Samsung and Silent Circle to showcase enhanced privacy, security features and higher levels of government compliances on KNOX devices and Blackphone built for regulated industries.

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CIO.com Senior Writer Matt Kapko specializes in the convergence of social media, mobility, digital marketing and technology. He enjoys traveling and hitting the road with his wife, going to shows, rooting for the 49ers, gardening and reading.